Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:47:36 -0800
Reply-To: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Subject: Re: auto accidents in europe? fish (NVC)
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2004032215165817@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
With ICBC, you are guilty until proven innocent. No ifs ands or buts. They
totally suck and the sooner they are gone, the better.
December 17, 2001 I was rear ended by another vehicle and sent to the
hospital. I had two of my vertebrae knocked out of alignment and have spent
the last two years in on and off pain. Tylenol 3 pain when I have pain and
it doesn't take much to trigger it. It's really not nice and please don't
get your back messed up like mine is - it plain isn't fun.
Now, were all thinking that if you get rear ended, it's the other guys fault
right? Nope, 25% his fault 75% my fault so that ICBC can reap the rewards
of having both insurances policies go up and two 'customers' afraid to do
anything in case they get their ass suited of by the other party. I took
ICBC to court and got a whole $750 for my expenses - $750 for a bent exhaust
[big deal], physio, drugs, time off from work, time off from life in
general. ICBC said that I was faking my injuries and there was no way I was
possibly hurt, even though I had letters from three doctors saying that I
was.
The problem is that in BC, ICBC makes the laws of the road, they pay for the
police to do road checks and speed traps, they fund photo radar [when we had
it], they pay all overtime for police to go to court for traffic issues.
How can an insurance company be unbiased towards anything when they control
the whole show - including the laws and law enforcement? The court case was
a total laugh - I think they even bought the judge as it was certainly
worthy of a few rounds of Captain Kangaroo... a total and complete farce...
Because of my experiences I applied for the licence plate which was an
acronym of "Federal Union of International Carpenters of British
Columbia"... somehow, they [ICBC] didn't approve the slogan... what a
shame...
If there was competition in auto insurance in BC things would be a lot
different - seeing how ICBC is the monopoly and the dictatorship it's a win
win win situation for them. May they rot in hell because of it.
End of conversation for me... back to Vanagon business...
David Marshall
Fast Forward Automotive Inc.
4356 Quesnel-Hixon Road
Quesnel BC Canada V2J 6Z3
http://www.fastforward.ca mailto:sales@fastforward.ca
Phone: (250) 992 7775 FAX: (250) 992 1160
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-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Galleons Lap Photo
Sent: March 22, 2004 12:14 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: auto accidents in europe? fish (NVC)
Depends where you are in Canada. In BC we have one provincially
owned insurance company, ICBC. I have had to make 2 accident
claims, and I have kept my maximum safe driver discount because
both cases were the other driver's fault. I didn't even have to
pay the deductable. In the first case it was potentially
serious hit-and-run. Police couldn't care, and didn't bother
pursuing the matter, even though I had the full license plate
number. ICBC cared, tracked the car/driver down and dinged him
for their costs, plus his rates went up considerably. One of
the nice things about a provincially mandated monopoly
insurance company with some enforcement powers is that they can
- and do - track down hit and run drivers that the police can't
be bothered with. A couple of times I have been "requested" to
attend an inspection station. They look for damage on the
vehicle that may have been caused by an accident. What they are
doing, of course, is tracking down all the vehicles that match a
description (witness or forensic evidence) and partial plate
info from an accident. Its a bit of a hassle to go to, but of
course it only takes a minute (if you are innocent) and it is a
worthy cause if it catches the driver who ran away. My '80
Westy is listed as a "Motor Home" (no choice) and I get a great
discount if I don't let anyone under 27 drive it.
just my $.03 worth.
seth
'80 Westy
On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 11:39:35 -0500, Automatic digest processor
wrote:
>Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 09:44:38 -0000
>From: karl filc <kfilc@SYMPATICO.CA>
>Subject: Re: auto accidents in europe? fish
>
>That's the bad thing here in Canada too. Even it's not your fault for the
>accident, your pemium will go up because your insurance pays for the repair
>on you car. This is the so called no fault insurance. Bad for you, good for
>the so poor insurance companies who made here last year aprofit of only 2.5
>billion $. Let go the hat around and collect some change for them.
>
>Hartmut
Galleons Lap Photography
glphoto@attglobal.net
Tel: (604) 298-0186